Coal cutting machine



Feb W4@ o. F. LEWIS COAL CUTTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 22,1938 @www 2&899670 Feb., 6, 1940o o. F. LEWIS COAL CUTTING vMACHINEFi1ed June 22, 1958 5 Sheepts-Sheet 2 Feb 5 1940 o. F. LEWIS COALCUTTING MACHINE Filed June 22, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 \\Sw Mw Nw. m. Y Tf N N s, @Mm EN T /T Hm m -1: Fw ,0. W

Feb. '5, 1940. o, LEWIS 2,189,679

COAL CUTTING MACHINE Filed June 22, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY Feb6, 1940. o. F. I Ewls y COAL CUTTING MACHINE INVENTOR ATTORNEY 5Sheets-Sheet 5 OSWALD FLOYD Law/s Filed June 22, 1938 Patented Feb.' 6,v`1940 "PfArsN'rforFlcE 2,189,670 f coml cUr'riNG MACHINE Oswald FreyaLewis, near Steinen, England, as-

,signor of onehalf vte Newton, Chambers &

Company Limited, near Sheffield corporation .of Great Britain England, a

Application June 22, 1938,*SerialV No. 215,261 i In Great Britain June24, 1937 'i claims. (ox. 2oz-so) rllhis invention'relates to coallcuttingl and-like machines and kmore particularly to a combinationlcutting-loading machine. c l

Thelmain object of the invention is tc simplify thecutting and removalci the coal and eliminate the necessity for shotlring, and a furtherobject is to avoid the trouble. experiencedwhcn y using the standardendless chain coal cutters `owing to the cuttings being taken into thecut by the Ireturn run of the chain and clogging 'the chain, which maythen require a greatly increased amount of power for its operation.`

' Further objects are to increase the accessibility of thel chain forchanging and adjusting the picks, to make the machine adaptable for varying thicknesses of coal seams and to increase themobility of themachine. f

vThe inventionjconsists primarily in a machine "havingmeans for cuttingcoal' at thetonvside and bottornso as to leaveabody oi coal ,projectingbackwardly from the direction in which the machine proceeds andunsupported except where it joins the uncut portion of the coal seam.

The coal is most conveniently cutv at the top,

lside' and bottomsirnultaneously by means of an.

endless cutting chain. running in a vertical plane `and given abodily'forwardlv movement (1'. e.,

a movement of translation in a .horizontal direl tion at right angles tothe vertical plane .s in which the chain runs), thech'ain having cuttingpicks projecting.fromy one side of itin the direction inI which it isdrawn "bodily forward.' The chainruns alongthe illoor, then `verticallyupwards to cut a new coaly face `andthen along. the

roof and round a driving ysprocket in the open space where the previouscut was made( i If' desired, the. horizontal undercut at floor level maybe made yby an ordinary type of Vcut'- terfchain running onv ahorizontal jib and the another feature of the'invention consists-in ltheprovision of adjustments which make thema-v chine adaptable for cuttingvarious thicknesses f of seams, even in cases-'where theseam' thicknessvaries or. the seam yrvnakesa downward bend during the progress ofthecutting machinev kFor this purpose the vheight/ot 'the ji'b .framecansbe increased or *decreased by making'a vvertical part being out.y`The hinged partof the frame-r'r1aygbe `secured in its operativeposition' byfremovable or double ended vto cutin` both directions.oftheI of the jlb vframe removable and replaceableby a section ofvdlierent length in order to vvary the size of the jibfranie while'theportion of rvthe frame adjacent'the driving head consists. of atelescopicstructure so that this part of the framey can be altered tocorrespond'with the different length sections inserted in the opposite.vside of the jib frame. In order to` allow for resulting variations inthe effective or' cutting run, of the k chain; the latter is guidedround the chain drivl0 ing sprocket by an idler sprocket Whichfis ad-`instable in position so that it can be. moved.. to'

take up any slack in the chain. To allow for large Aalterations in theheight of the jlb the length of the cutterchain can be varied byre- 15moving o1 inserting extra links andy pick. 'boxes and the pins by whichthe links land pick `boxes are pivotedv together are made easilyremovable Thetelescopic structure is provided with hingeA I* pins aboutwhich the rest ofthe framehinges so"v that itr can be swung into and outof anopera-r f,

tive j position whichl itA occupies when the coal is lockingfpins. y. .l.f The machine can. be made either single .ended f In alternativeconstructionsy of `machine rvrthe chain drivingsprocketfis itself `rnadeadjustable in position toallow for smjall alterations totheclearance-necessary .to allow of protectior'il of the ttalhlength of'the Cutter chain' y y return run of this jib chain would be made-.byechain of the kind above described. The return 40 Anotherfeature ofthepresent.invention consists in av constructiony of cutter'chainsuitable for the'above described machine. Inthis chain the pickblocks or heads, in` which the cuttingf` picksare secured, project fromthe side-'facesr fr of the pick boxes `which arey `preferably con# 4dstructedin twoparts Welded` together at acentral body portion..'-Thepick boxes are joinedI intov anendless chain by interposed linksto which the boxes are pivoted by'pivot pinsV and the links of- 50 y thechain are made to i'lt at their ends between projecting members ofthepick boxes, theL` ends of `the links and the` projecting members havingsocketsthrough which the pivot pins are passed.

Each linkl is .provided-with a central hole or 55.

socket shaped to receive a tooth of the chain driving sprocket and ofany idler sprocket.

The chain is adapted to be retained and guided during its travel roundthe jib by the provision of shoulders formed by making the end bosses ofthe links of smaller radius than the projecting members between whichthey iit.

One endof each pivot pin is made tot ush and has a projecting shoulder'and thev other end has an annular ring groove for securing the pin inposition.

Examples oi constructions of machine according to the invention anddetails of the cutter chain are illustrated in the accompanying drawingsin which:

Fig. l is an end elevation o the machine with certain oi the parte showndiagrainmatically.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the main portion of the machine, partlyin section on line II--II of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine partly in horizontal section,partly in section on line III- III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modied form of drive forJrhe cutter chain.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of another modied form of ydrivefor the cutter chain. Fig. G'is an elevation of a portion of the cutter`chain to show the details of its construction.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is a sectional View taken on line VIH- VIII of Fig. 7.

The main body of the machine which is indicated generally by referencenumeral i is a box- Y like structure built up from plates or castings inany suitable manner and has projecting from one side of it an open frameor jib 2, here shown as substantially rectangular, on which the operative portion or cutting run of the endless cutter chain is guided asindicated by the chain dotted line 3 in Fig. l and as described morefully hereinafter. A portion of the cutting chain is illustrated in Fig.3 and the chain details are illustrated in Figs. 6 to 3 described laterand here it will be suilcient to note that the cutter chain is providedwith cutting picks 4 projecting from .the machine back along the face.

the sides of pick boxes Il and thus projecting at right angles to theplane of the jib 2. The

frame or jib 2 forms three sides of a rectangle and in cross-section itis shaped to provide a guide channel 5, appropriately shaped to receiveand retain the cutter chain, and a strengthening or stiffening webbehind the guide channel 5. The ends of the jib where it is attached tothe main body of the machine are provided with bars 1 projecting fromthe web 5 and litting into f jib 2 is secured toy thebody of the machineby easily withdrawable locking pins il which pass through the sides ofthe slots .3 and through the bars 1. By withdrawing one of the pins 9from the bottom of the machine anda corresponding pin from the top ofthe machine the jib can be swung round, on the other pair of pins aspivots, from the position shown into a position in which it liesparallel to the length of the machine and thus parallel to the coal faceto facilitate flitting The cutter .Seen that the mechanism and clutchllt' are chain must, oi course, be disconnected before the jib is swung.

At the outer end of the jib is a removable section lil of the frame(Fig. l) which can be removed and replaced by another section oi'different length to enable the height of the jib to be varied, and theheight of the inner end of the jib is made adjustable by having thesocket 8 in the head l i of a hollow rectangular column IZ whichisslidable vertically up and down in a rectangular socket i3 integralwith the main body of the machine. The column l2 can be raised orlowered by the rotation or" an inte dal operating screw ifi (Fig. l)engaging wi li a nut 5 formed at the top or" a tubular shield l5projecting upwardly from the bottom o the machine and forming a housingfor the screw i4. The screw it is rotatable by a hand wheel VI integralwith the upper end or" the screw, the whole arrangement beingconstructed and operating in a similar manner to a screw lifting jack.

A driving sprocket I3 for the cutter chain is provided at each end ofthe machine freely rotatable on a shaft 22, and each driving sprocket isprovided with dogs lil (Fig. 3) which can be engaged by co-operatingdogs 2H on a member 2i slidable on the shaft 22 but keyed or splinedthereon so that when the member 2i is moved by, for example, a forkedlever (not shown) towards the sprocket IG the latter is coupled to itsshaft 22. Each shaft '2.2 is driven through reduction gears 23, 24 froma shaft 25 extenjing the whole length of the hollow interior or the basel of the machine. The shaft 25 has secured on it a gear Z6 (Fig. 3)which is driven, through an idler 2, by a gear 28 fast on anintermediate shaft 29 which also has fast on it a large gear driven froma smaller spur gear 3l secured on the end of the shaft 32 of the drivingmotor 33. The outer end of each shaft 22 can be adapted Ifor coupling toa loading mechanism of any suitable construction and this can be runwith the cutter chain or stopped by disengagement of the dog clutch I9,2Q. The same driving motor 33 is used for haulage of the machine and thehaulage drive is taken off from a bevel gear 34 ecured to the end of theintermediate shaft 29 and meshing with a bevel gear 35 on a cross shaft3B which has secured on it a pinion f'i engaging with a gear 38 on ahollow shaft or sleeVe'SS carrying one'element 4G of the haulage clutch4G. This clutch may be of the internal expanding type or of the disctype and it will be so located and arranged that the mechanism iscompletely enclosed within the hollow body l of the machine but theclutch MJ, which is the part most likely to need attention, is in arecess di separated Jfrom the other mechanism by a partition lla and therecess 4l is closed by a cover plate 42 so that the haulage clutch istherefore easily accessible for adjustment or repair without it beingnecessary to uncover and dismantle any oi' the gearing for this purpose.The other element of the haulage clutch isslidable on splines on ashaft43 extending through the sleeve 39 and having keyed thereon a slidinggear 14 movable along the shaft 43 for selecting the direction ofhaulage by engagement with one or other of two gears 5 and 45a on twocross-shafts d6 and 46a one below the other. (see also Fig. 2). Thelower cross shaft 46a is in two independent parts on the same centreline and one part extends from the partition Ma to the support 4'! andis constantly driven from the upper cross shaft 46 by gears 4B. Theother part of' the lower cross shaft lita has on pit the gears it, 5i?,5l which can be engaged in turnby the slidingfpinionsfZ, 53, 54 onthe-upper cross shaft tt (which is one single shaft extending from thegear 45 to the gear 55) thus forming an ordinary positive drivel changespeed gear box giving three different forward `haulage speeds whencutting. The cutting haulage drive is from the cross shaft et throughthe reduction gearing 55, t-tfl to the haulage chain sprocket 63. Thehaulage chain (not shown) lies along the coal faceand is gripped betweenthe sprocket G3 and an idler sprocket 645 so lthat the machine ishauledalong as Vthe sprocket $53v is rotated. A high hitting speed .whenthe 'haulage drive is reversed is obtained by moving gear S5 intomeshwith gear it on the shaft of gear 58 so that the drive is nottransmitted through gears 55;. 56 and 51 which thenrun free, and thespeed reduction is reduced to give a high flitting speed.

The striking mechanism for shifting the movable gears is not shown inorder to avoid confusion but it may be of any well knownform suitabletothe vfunctions it has to perform.

n When the sizeof the jib frame is adjusted the length of the cutterchain may-have to be altered to correspond andy for this purpose thelinks and pick boxes forming the cutter chain are made easily detachable(as ydescribed in connection with Figs. 6 to 8) so. that 4some of themcan be removed or others inserted to shorten or lengthen the chain. Anyminor variation in adjustments of the length of the chain can'be takenup by an adjustable idler sprocket or by arranging that the drivingsprocket itself is adjustable -in guides on thebody of the machine sothat it can be moved to take up any slack in vthe cutter chain, withoutdisconnecting it from the Adriving motor and gearing.

.The provision of an adjustable.idlersprocket is illustrated in Figs. 1,2 as follows:

The head Il of the column l2 carries a guide sprocket indicated at |65(Fig. 1) over which the cutter chain runs, and the chain also passesover the adjustable sprocket IE6 which is freely rotatable on a stubshaft 61 A(Fig. 2) projecting from a bracket 58 which is slidable intransverse guides 59 `projecting fromy the body l of the machine. Theposition of the bracket is adjustedfby rotation of a threaded spindle'It which passes through a threaded hole or nut 'H in the bracketl 6Band is supported at its ends in bearings 'lr2 which allow rotation ofthescrewed spindle l'but prevent longitudinal movement vthereof. Thespindle it is rotated by a wrench or key applied to its squared end 13.The adjustable sprocket and associated'parts are, of course, du-Aplicated at both ends of the machine, as illustratedingFig. 2, tocooperate with either of the driving sprockets. If the height of the jibframe is sufhciently low to give a sufficiently large arc of Contact ofthe cutter chain round thedriving sprocket, the chain can runpractically straight between the guidesprocket IE5 and the ldrivingsprocket l 8 as indicated at 3 in Fig. 1 in which the sprockets andchain are indicated diagrammatically, and the adjustable sprocket is, inthis case, in its outer position as indicated in Fig. 1. On the otherhand, if the height of the jib frame is -materiallyincreased the arc ofcontact between the cutter' chain and its driving sprocket may becometoo small for ecient working and the inserting additional pickboxes andlinks) beyond that.necessaryto'allowfor the increased height of thejib'and `the adjustable sprocket moved inwards toa position such as thatindicated at i156' so that the chain runs along a path such ast toincrease its arc of contact round the driving sprocket I8. i

Asstated above, small variations in the length of the cutting run ofthe'chain can be taken up by moving the driving sprocket and Fig. 4shows a modified. arrangement of the chain drive in which the positionof the driving sprocket itself is adjustable. this Fig. lfthe driveshaft M'has thereon a bevel gear l5 which meshes with another bevelIgear 'It on a shaft H carrying a gear i8 freely rotatable on the shaft.T7 but capableof being coupled thereto by means of a dog clutch ofwhich one element 'IS is integralwith the gear 18 while the movablemember im of the clutch is slidable on the shaft by any suitable meanssuch as a forked lever (not shown) engaging the annular groove 3i. Theslidable clutch half Sli is coupled to the shaft by a key or splines.The gear 'F8 meshes with a larger gearQ secured at one end of an'externally splined shaft 83 lying parallel to the piane of the drivingsprocket i8. Surrounding the splinecl shaft 83 is a hollow shaft 6dhaving internal splines by which the hollow shaft is coupled'to theexternally splined shaft. 83 but is capable of sliding `movementthereon. The hollow shaft 3d is'supported'by'bearings 85 in a hollowcasing 8&3 forming part of a sliding head tl carrying the chain drivingsprocket i3.

Mounted on the hollow yshaft-Srl inside the casing 86 is a bevel geartwhich meshes with a bevel gear St on a short shaft Se tov which issecured a central pinion @i meshing with three idler pinionsV 92surrounding it which in turn mesh with internal teeth 93 on the innerface ofv a hollow gear 84 integral with the driving sprocket shaft Q5?onthe outer end ofv which the driving sprocket It is secured. The shaft95 is supported in the head Sl by bearings. QS. Soitable bearings are,of course, provided for the othershafts and gears. The head dl' isslidable, parallel to the spline, in undercut or T-section guides Sl sothat the sprocket ,5S is movable between the limits indicated 'and thedrive to the sprocket i8 maintainedk by the splined coupling between thehollow shaft te sliding along the shaft t3. Thehead Sl can be clampedinposition bybolts indicated at St'whose heads' t in the under-cut guides9?.

gear 5l and having a sduaredend to which a sprocket i8 and move thecutter chain `byhand if this should be necessary.

Fig. 5 shows .an alternative construction of p movable driving sprocketvand a suitable drive thereto and in this case the cutter chain drivingsprocket I8 is fixed on the end of a short shaft itl which at itsotherendfis formed as an inl ternally toothed ring or gear m2 and'meshing`with the internally toothed gear 92 is a smaller spur wheel H13 whichis thus oset from the cen-l ings 1&8 in a bracket or head it@ slidablein undercut guides l Il) .inthe body of the machine and capable of beingclamped in position by bolts The shaft 35 is hollow s and through itpasses aspindle 5G integral with l handle or wrench can be fitted toyrotate the l indicated at I I I. The bracket |09 is enlarged to form acylindrical casing |I2 surrounding the internally toothed gear |02.Fitting into this cylindrical casing |I2 is a cylindrical flange I|3projecting from a cover plate |I4 formed into a bearing |I5 for theshaft |04. The cover plate II4 is normally clamped to the cylindricalcasing II2 by clamps IIS and by slackening the clamps |I6 and slackeningthe holding bolts ||I for the bracket, the latter can be moved to varythe position of the cutter chain sprocket I8 and during this movementthe spur wheel |03 moves eccentrically with respect to the cutter chainsprocket shaft IOI around the inside of the internally toothed gear |02so as to maintain constant the drive from the motor shaft |01.

Referring now to Figs. 6 to 8, the cutter chain is built up of pickboxes 4 and interposed links II'I and one of each of these is shown inFigs. 6 to 8. Each pick box 4 consists of two parallel side members II8,|I8' spaced apart, and joined by a body portion IIS, and from theoutside face of `one side member I I8 projects a pick block |20 intowhich are tted cutting picks 4 secured by clamping bolts |2|. 'Ihe pickboxes forming the cutter chain are positioned so that all the cuttingpicks project from the same side of the chain, which is that sideprojecting from the jib 2 (Fig. 3). Each pick box is constructed in twoparts welded together at the body portion I I9 as indicated at |22 inFig. 7.

The side members I I8, I8 of each pick box are extended to formprojecting ears |23 between which t the end bosses |24 of the connectinglinks |I'I and the boxes and links are pivoted together by pivot pins|25 passing through holes or sockets |26 in the ears |23 and throughholes |21 in the end bosses of the links. Each link II'I is providedwith a central hole or socket |28 shaped to receive a tooth of the chaindriving sprocket or of any idler sprocket as the chain is driven round.The body IIS of each pick box 4 is arcuately recessed out at its ends asindicated at |29 to provide clearances for the end bosses of the links.

The enlarged end |30 of each pivot pin |25 is made to fit ilush with theouter face of the side member IIB which rides on the bottom of the chainguide groove 5 in the jib 2 (Fig. 3) and the end |30 of the pin has aprojecting shoulder I3| fitting into a recess |32 in the face of memberII8. The other end |33 of the pin projects from the pick box and has anannular groove |34 to receive a ring (not shown) for securing the pin inplace. This arrangement enables any of the pins |25 to be easily andquickly removed when varying the length of the cutter chain. The endbosses |24 of each link II'I are of smaller radius than the projectingears |23 of the pick boxes between which they fit so as to provideretaining and guiding shoulders between ears |23 to assist in holdingthe cutter chain in its guide during its travel round the jib,

The outer face of the side member II8 of each pick box is extended asshown clearly at |35 in Figs. 6 and 8 to form a kind of cover over theopening of the guide slot 5 in the jib (Fig. 3) when the chain is inplace therein and to ride on the face of the jib, and the correspondingside of each link is similarly extended as indicated at |36 in Figs. 6and 7, the height of the body of the link being indicated by the dottedlines |31 in Fig. 6 while the guide recess between the sides of the bodyis indicated at |38.

The coal cutter is preferably combined with a loading arrangementconsisting of small conveyors following along and behind the jib. Thecoal falls on these conveyors and is deposited on to the usual long wallcoal conveyor. In case of poor roof conditions the coal should bedeposited from the loader on to a conveyor placed along the new face,that is right behind the chain in the space where the coal is being cutand loaded. With this location of the main conveyor it is necessary ofcourse to add sections to the conveyor to increase its length as thecoal is being mined.

The machine according to the invention has the important advantage thatthe area of unsupported roof is reduced to a minimum. This is extremelyimportant, particularly with bad roof conditions. The machine also hasthe other advantages that shot firing is eliminated; the part of thechain which runs in the open space made by the previous cuttingoperations is easily accessible for changing the picks; while the chainworking in a vertical plane naturally has the force of gravity helpingto counteract any tendency of the cuttings being carried back into theout. This latter advantage is a very considerable one as the powerrequired to drive a cutting chain when clogged with cutting is often twoor three times that required to drive a chain running clear of cuttings.To assist in the prevention of clogging, the portion of the chain aroundthe sprocket and between the sprocket and floor and roof can be encasedto limit the dust nuisance, and the action of the chain brings thecuttings sufficiently high to be deposited on to a small conveyor whichwould deliver all cuttings on to the main conveyor.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an endless chain coal-cutting and like machine, a body containinga motor and gearing for driving the cutter chain, a rectangular jibframe projecting from the body, a replaceable section in the side of thejib frame remote from the body, an adjustable structure supporting thejib frame on the body, a chain driving sprocket adjacent said adjustablestructure and driven by said motor and gearing, an endless cutter chainguided on said jib frame and engaging and driven by said sprocket, anadjustable guide sprocket adjacent said driving sprocket and engagingthe chain, a bracket carrying said adjustable sprocket, and means formoving said bracket and adjustable sprocket in a direction parallel tothe plane of said driving sprocket.

2. In a chain coal-cutting and like machine, a hollow body divided bypartition walls into separate compartments, a driving motor in one ofsaid compartments, a driven shaft for the cutter chain drive extendingthrough said compartments, gearing in another of said comparments fordriving the shaft from the motor, change speed gears in said othercompartment and driven from the aforesaid gearing, a haulage sprocketdriven from the motor through said change speed gears, and a clutchcontrolling the drive to the haulage sprocket and located in a separatecompartment at the side of the machine body.

3. A machine for cutting coal or the like, comprising a body, endlesscoal cutting means, means in said body for moving said machine in atleast one direction and for driving said cutting means, an open jibframe projecting laterally from said body at substantially right anglesthereto and to said direction of movement, said jib providing l toconform to the thicknessy of said vein saidv guide means for saidcutting means, a portion of said jib frame being removable to providespaced jib frame end portions, an opposite portion of said jib framecomprising telescopically connected portions ymovable relative to eachother to permit said jib frame to be reduced in size in a direction tobring said spaced end portions into engagement with each other,Whereby'to re-r duce the size of said frame in one direction.

4. The structure of claim 3, said frame comprising top, bottom and sideportions, said removable portion being located in a side portion,

`and said telescopic portionsvbeing located in means and for advancingsaid body along said side' of said vvein with saidcutting means engagingsaid end of said vein to cut a substantially U-shaped cut thereinto;means .on;said, frame for varying at least the height thereof heightvarying means comprising a telescopic connection between two of saidframe members. `r

6. lIn an endless chain coalcutting or like machine, a drive sprocketfor the chaingthereof, a spindle mounting said sprocket, a supportinghead mounting said spindle, a drive shaft, means operatively connectingsaidshaft to said spindle, means for varying the tenseness of saidchain, comprising means mounting said head, spindle and sprocket forsliding movementtransversely operative connection between said shaft andspindle during the sliding of said head.

7. The structure of claim 5, said drive means for said cutting meansincluding a drive Wheel engaging said cutting means, a spindle mountingsaid Wheel, a supporting head mounting saidv spindle, and a drive shaftxed onsaid body and having an operative connection Withr said spindle,means mounting said head on said body for sliding movement transverselyof said shaft, and

vof said shaft, and means for maintaining said means for maintainingsaid operative connection between said shaftr and spindle during the slid-v ing of said head.

,- OSWALD FLOYD LEWIS.

